Editing Laurinburg, North Carolina

{{Use American English|date=March 2021}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2021}}
{{Infobox settlement
| official_name            = Laurinburg, North Carolina
| settlement_type          = [[City]]
| nickname                 = LBG, The Burg
| motto                    = <!-- Images -->
| image_skyline            = Laurinburg, North Carolina.jpg
| imagesize                = 
| image_caption            = Main Street in Laurinburg
| image_seal               = Laurinburg, NC City Seal.jpg
| image_map                = Scotland County North Carolina incorporated and unincorporated areas Laurinburg highlighted.svg
| mapsize                  = 260px
| map_caption              = Location in [[Scotland County, North Carolina|Scotland County]] and the state of [[North Carolina]].

<!-- Location -->| subdivision_type         = Country
| subdivision_name         = United States
| subdivision_type1        = [[U.S. state|State]]
| subdivision_name1        = [[North Carolina]]
| subdivision_type2        = [[List of counties in North Carolina|County]]
| subdivision_name2        = [[Scotland County, North Carolina|Scotland]]
| government_footnotes     = 
| government_type          = 
| leader_title             = Mayor
| leader_name              = James "Jim" Willis<ref name="Mayor">{{cite web | title = Mayor | date = November 6, 2019 | publisher = City of Laurinburg, NC | url = https://www.laurinburgexchange.com/news/30723/willis-elected-mayor | access-date = November 6, 2019}}</ref>
| established_title        = Incorporated
| established_date         = 1877<ref name="History"/>

<!-- Area -->| unit_pref                = Imperial
| area_footnotes           = <ref name="TigerWebMapServer">{{cite web|title=ArcGIS REST Services Directory|url=https://tigerweb.geo.census.gov/arcgis/rest/services/TIGERweb/Places_CouSub_ConCity_SubMCD/MapServer|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=September 20, 2022}}</ref>
| area_magnitude           = 
| area_total_km2           = 32.91
| area_land_km2            = 32.50
| area_water_km2           = 0.41
| area_total_sq_mi         = 12.71
| area_land_sq_mi          = 12.55
| area_water_sq_mi         = 0.16

<!-- Population -->| population_as_of         = [[2020 United States census|2020]]
| population_footnotes     = 
| population_total         = 14978
| population_density_km2   = 460.91
| population_density_sq_mi = 1193.75

<!-- General information -->| timezone                 = [[North American Eastern Time Zone|Eastern (EST)]]
| utc_offset               = &minus;5
| timezone_DST             = EDT
| utc_offset_DST           = &minus;4
| elevation_footnotes      = <ref name=gnis/>
| elevation_ft             = 217
| coordinates              = {{coord|34|45|37|N|79|28|38|W|region:US-NC_type:city|display=inline,title}}
| postal_code_type         = [[ZIP code]]s
| postal_code              = 28352-28353
| area_codes               = [[Area codes 910 and 472|910, 472]]
| blank_name               = [[Federal Information Processing Standard|FIPS code]]
| blank_info               = 37-37220<ref name="GR2">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=2008-01-31|title=U.S. Census website}}</ref>
| blank1_name              = [[Geographic Names Information System|GNIS]] feature ID
| blank1_info              = 2404892<ref name=gnis>{{GNIS|2404892}}</ref>
| footnotes                = 
| pop_est_as_of            = 
| pop_est_footnotes        = 
| population_est           = 
| website                  = {{URL|http://www.laurinburg.org/}}
}}

'''Laurinburg''' is a city in and the [[county seat]] of [[Scotland County, North Carolina]], United States.<ref name="GR6">{{cite web|url=http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx|access-date=2011-06-07|title=Find a County|publisher=National Association of Counties}}</ref> Located in southern North Carolina near the [[South Carolina]] border, Laurinburg is southwest of [[Fayetteville, North Carolina|Fayetteville]] and is home to [[St. Andrews University (North Carolina)|St. Andrews University]]. The population was 14,978 at the [[2020 United States census|2020 Census]].

==History==
[[File:Laurinburg, North Carolina (circa 1910).jpg|thumb|left|Main Street, {{circa|1910}}]]

Settlers arrived at the present town site around 1785. The settlement was named for a prominent family, the McLaurins.<ref name="History">{{cite web | last =  Myers | first = Betty P. | title = History | publisher = City of Laurinburg, NC | url = http://www.laurinburg.org/history | access-date = July 27, 2017}}</ref> The name was originally spelled Laurinburgh and pronounced as if it were spelled "Laurinboro", similar to the pronunciation of [[Edinburgh]] in Scotland, though the "h" was later dropped.<ref name= john>{{cite news|last=John|first=Maxcy L.| title = Historical Sketch of Laurinburg| newspaper = The Laurinburg Exchange| page = 2| date = June 29, 1916| volume = XXXIV| issue = 26| edition = anniversary|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/3530162/the-laurinburg-exchange/}}</ref> The community was initially located within the jurisdiction of [[Richmond County, North Carolina|Richmond County]].<ref name= elder>{{cite news| last = Elder| first = Renee| title = Black residents in a small NC town say their community is neglected. What happens now?| newspaper = Border Belt Independent| date = August 13, 2021| url = https://borderbelt.org/black-residents-in-a-small-nc-town-say-their-community-is-neglected-what-happens-now/| access-date = July 21, 2022}}</ref> In 1840, Laurinburg had a saloon, a store, and a few shacks. Laurinburg High School, a private school, was established in 1852. The settlement prospered in the years following. A line of the [[Wilmington Subdivision|Wilmington, Charlotte and Rutherford Railroad]] was built through Laurinburg in the 1850s, with the first train reaching Laurinburg in 1861.<ref name="History"/> The railroad's shops were moved to Laurinburg in 1865 in the hope they would be safer from [[Union Army]] attack; however, in March of that year, Union forces reached Laurinburg and burned the railroad depot and temporary shops.<ref>{{cite book | last = Barrett | first = John G. | title = The Civil War in North Carolina | publisher = University of North Carolina | year = 1995 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=N10JAA-NKtoC&pg=PP1 | page = 300| isbn = 978-0-8078-4520-2 }}</ref> The shops were later rebuilt.<ref name= john/> Laurinburg was incorporated in 1877.<ref name="History"/> In 1894 the railway shops were moved out of the town and, combined with low cotton prices, property values in the area decreased and the town experienced an [[economic depression]].<ref name= john/>

By the late 1800s Richmond County had a majority black population and tended to support the [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican Party]] in elections, while the state of North Carolina was dominated by the [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic Party]]. As a result of this, white Democrats built up a political base in Laurinburg and in 1899 the town and the surrounding area was split off from Richmond into the new [[Scotland County, North Carolina|Scotland County]].<ref name= elder/> The town was declared the seat of Scotland County in 1900{{sfn|Covington|Ellis|1999|p=1}} and the first courthouse was erected the following year.<ref name="History"/> As their influence in public affairs and share of public resources declined, local black citizens created the [[Laurinburg Institute|Laurinburg Normal Industrial Institute]], later known as Laurinburg Academy, in 1904.<ref name= elder/>

Main Street in Laurinburg was paved in 1914.<ref name="History"/> Beginning in 1929, the [[Great Depression]] severely impacted Laurinburg, causing two banks to fail.{{sfn|Covington|Ellis|1999|pp=13, 16}} A new courthouse was built in 1964.<ref name="History"/> Laurinburg's downtown suffered an economic decline beginning in the 1980s when the [[Belk]] department store moved to a shopping center further away. The downtown was heavily impacted by [[Hurricane Florence]] in 2018.<ref>{{cite news| last = Nagem| first = Sarah| title = Here's how one North Carolina town is bringing its downtown back to life| newspaper = Border Belt Independent | date = March 24, 2022 | url = https://borderbelt.org/laurinburg-nc-revives-downtown/ | access-date = April 1, 2022}}</ref>

===Historic sites===
Several sites in Laurinburg are listed on the [[National Register of Historic Places listings in Scotland County, North Carolina]], including:
{{colbegin}}
* [[John Blue House (Laurinburg, North Carolina)|John Blue House]]
* [[Mag Blue House]]
* [[Central School (Laurinburg, North Carolina)|Central School]]
* [[Dr. Evan Alexander Erwin House]]
* [[E. Hervey Evans House]]
* [[Thomas J. Gill House]]
* [[Laurel Hill Presbyterian Church]]
* [[Laurinburg Commercial Historic District]]
* [[St. Andrews University (North Carolina)|St. Andrews University]]
* [[Stewart-Hawley-Malloy House]]
* [[Laurinburg Institute]]
* [[Villa Nova (Laurinburg, North Carolina)|Villa Nova]]
{{colend}}

==Geography==
According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the city has a total area of {{convert|12.71|sqmi|km2}}, of which 12.55&nbsp;square miles (32.5&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup>) is land and {{convert|0.16|sqmi|km2}} (1.26%) is water.

Laurinburg is located {{convert|19|mi}} northeast of [[Bennettsville, South Carolina|Bennettsville]], {{convert|26|mi}} east of [[Rockingham, North Carolina|Rockingham]], {{convert|32|mi}} west of [[Lumberton, North Carolina|Lumberton]], and {{convert|41|mi}} southwest of [[Fayetteville, North Carolina|Fayetteville]].

== Climate ==

{{Weather box|width=auto
|location = Laurinburg, North Carolina, (1991&ndash;2020 normals, extremes 1946&ndash;present)
|single line = Y

|Jan avg record high F = 73.3
|Feb avg record high F = 76.7
|Mar avg record high F = 83.1
|Apr avg record high F = 88.9
|May avg record high F = 93.6
|Jun avg record high F = 98.3
|Jul avg record high F = 99.3
|Aug avg record high F = 98.0
|Sep avg record high F = 93.4
|Oct avg record high F = 87.6
|Nov avg record high F = 80.1
|Dec avg record high F = 74.1
|year avg record high F = 100.8

| Jan high F = 55.0
| Feb high F = 59.4
| Mar high F = 67.1
| Apr high F = 76.7
| May high F = 83.8
| Jun high F = 89.9
| Jul high F = 93.0
| Aug high F = 90.7
| Sep high F = 85.5
| Oct high F = 76.4
| Nov high F = 66.0
| Dec high F = 58.2
|year high F = 75.2
|Jan mean F = 44.1
|Feb mean F = 47.5
|Mar mean F = 54.6
|Apr mean F = 63.4
|May mean F = 72.0
|Jun mean F = 79.1
|Jul mean F = 82.4
|Aug mean F = 80.5
|Sep mean F = 75.0
|Oct mean F = 64.3
|Nov mean F = 53.9
|Dec mean F = 47.1
|year mean F = 63.7
| Jan low F = 33.2
| Feb low F = 35.6
| Mar low F = 42.0
| Apr low F = 50.1
| May low F = 60.2
| Jun low F = 68.2
| Jul low F = 71.8
| Aug low F = 70.3
| Sep low F = 64.5
| Oct low F = 52.2
| Nov low F = 41.8
| Dec low F = 36.0
|year low F = 52.2

|Jan avg record low F = 17.1
|Feb avg record low F = 21.6
|Mar avg record low F = 26.1
|Apr avg record low F = 34.1
|May avg record low F = 46.1
|Jun avg record low F = 57.6
|Jul avg record low F = 63.9
|Aug avg record low F = 62.0
|Sep avg record low F = 52.0
|Oct avg record low F = 36.6
|Nov avg record low F = 26.5
|Dec avg record low F = 21.9
|year avg record low F = 15.2

| Jan record high F = 82
| Feb record high F = 84
| Mar record high F = 91
| Apr record high F = 96
| May record high F = 100
| Jun record high F = 106
| Jul record high F = 107
| Aug record high F = 107
| Sep record high F = 103
| Oct record high F = 101
| Nov record high F = 88
| Dec record high F = 81
|Jan record low F = -3
|Feb record low F = 6
|Mar record low F = 8
|Apr record low F = 24
|May record low F = 34
|Jun record low F = 45
|Jul record low F = 53
|Aug record low F = 48
|Sep record low F = 39
|Oct record low F = 21
|Nov record low F = 14
|Dec record low F = 5
|precipitation colour = green
| Jan precipitation inch = 3.55
| Feb precipitation inch = 3.26
| Mar precipitation inch = 3.42
| Apr precipitation inch = 2.95
| May precipitation inch = 3.50
| Jun precipitation inch = 5.01
| Jul precipitation inch = 4.33
| Aug precipitation inch = 5.08
| Sep precipitation inch = 5.48
| Oct precipitation inch = 3.19
| Nov precipitation inch = 3.24
| Dec precipitation inch = 3.55
|year precipitation inch = 46.56
| unit precipitation days = 0.01 in
| Jan precipitation days = 11.3
| Feb precipitation days = 9.9
| Mar precipitation days = 10.2
| Apr precipitation days = 8.9
| May precipitation days = 9.0
| Jun precipitation days = 11.2
| Jul precipitation days = 11.8
| Aug precipitation days = 11.7
| Sep precipitation days = 9.2
| Oct precipitation days = 7.9
| Nov precipitation days = 8.6
| Dec precipitation days = 11.7
| year precipitation days = 121.4
|Jan snow inch = 0.5
|Feb snow inch = 0.4
|Mar snow inch = 0.0
|Apr snow inch = 0.0
|May snow inch = 0.0
|Jun snow inch = 0.0
|Jul snow inch = 0.0
|Aug snow inch = 0.0
|Sep snow inch = 0.0
|Oct snow inch = 0.0
|Nov snow inch = 0.0
|Dec snow inch = 0.2
|year snow inch = 1.1
|unit snow days = 0.1 in
|Jan snow days = 0.3
|Feb snow days = 0.2
|Mar snow days = 0.0
|Apr snow days = 0.0
|May snow days = 0.0
|Jun snow days = 0.0
|Jul snow days = 0.0
|Aug snow days = 0.0
|Sep snow days = 0.0
|Oct snow days = 0.0
|Nov snow days = 0.0
|Dec snow days = 0.0
|year snow days = 0.5
|source 1 = NOAA<ref>{{cite web
| url = https://www.weather.gov/wrh/climate?wfo=rah
| title = NOWData - NOAA Online Weather Data
| publisher = [[National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration]]
}}</ref><ref>{{cite web
| url = https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/services/data/v1?dataset=normals-monthly-1991-2020&startDate=0001-01-01&endDate=9996-12-31&stations=USC00314860&format=pdf
| title = Summary of Monthly Normals 1991-2020
| publisher = [[National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration]]
| access-date = October 24, 2021
}}</ref> }}

==Demographics==
{{US Census population
|1880= 968
|1890= 1357
|1900= 1334
|1910= 2322
|1920= 2643
|1930= 3312
|1940= 5685
|1950= 7134
|1960= 8242
|1970= 8859
|1980= 11480
|1990= 11643
|2000= 15874
|2010= 15962
|2020= 14978
|footnote=U.S. Decennial Census<ref name="DecennialCensus">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html|title=Census of Population and Housing|publisher=Census.gov|access-date=June 4, 2015}}</ref>
}}

===2020 census===
{| class="wikitable"
|+Laurinburg Racial Composition<ref>{{Cite web|title=Explore Census Data|url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?g=1600000US3737220&tid=DECENNIALPL2020.P2|access-date=2021-12-06|website=data.census.gov}}</ref>
!Race
!Num.
!Perc.
|-
|[[White (U.S. Census)|White]]
|5,552
|37.07%
|-
|[[African American (U.S. Census)|Black or African American]]
|7,115
|47.5%
|-
|[[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]]
|1,012
|6.76%
|-
|[[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]]
|189
|1.26%
|-
|[[Pacific Islander (U.S. Census)|Pacific Islander]]
|6
|0.04%
|-
|[[Race (United States Census)|Other/Mixed]]
|688
|4.59%
|-
|[[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]]
|416
|2.78%
|}
As of the [[2020 United States census]], there were 14,978 people, 5,712 households, and 3,544 families residing in the city.{{citation needed|date=July 2022}} The black population is concentrated in the northern section of the city.<ref name= elder/>

===2000 census===
[[File:The State Bank Building in Laurinburg, North Carolina, June 2011.jpg|thumb|right|upright|The State Bank building in downtown Laurinburg]]
As of the [[census]]<ref name="GR2" /> of 2000, there were 15,874 people, 6,136 households, and 4,221 families residing in the city. The population density was {{convert|1,280.2|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. There were 6,603 housing units at an average density of {{convert|532.5|/sqmi|/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. The racial makeup of the city was 50.54% [[White (U.S. Census)|White]], 43.06% [[African American (U.S. Census)|African American]], 4.23% [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]], 0.76% [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]], 0.03% [[Pacific Islander (U.S. Census)|Pacific Islander]], 0.35% from [[Race (United States Census)|other races]], and 1.04% from two or more races. [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]] of any race were 1.06% of the population.

There were 6,136 households, out of which 32.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.8% were [[Marriage|married couples]] living together, 23.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.2% were non-families. 27.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.46 and the average family size was 3.00.

In the city, the population was spread out, with 26.6% under the age of 18, 10.7% from 18 to 24, 25.9% from 25 to 44, 22.7% from 45 to 64, and 14.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 81.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 74.7 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $29,064, and the median income for a family was $37,485. Males had a median income of $31,973 versus $25,243 for females. The [[per capita income]] for the city was $16,165. About 19.7% of families and 23.6% of the population were below the [[poverty line]], including 35.5% of those under age 18 and 18.6% of those age 65 or over.

The state [[Scotland Correctional Institution]], located near the airport, opened in 2003.

==Education==
===High school===
* [[Scotland High School]]

===College===
The city is home to [[St. Andrews University (North Carolina)|St. Andrews University]], formerly known as St. Andrews Presbyterian College.

==Media==
Laurinburg is served by the local newspaper, ''[[Laurinburg Exchange|The Laurinburg Exchange]]''.

The local radio station is [[WLNC]].

==Notable people==
* [[Russ Adams]], former [[Major League Baseball|MLB]] infielder for the [[Toronto Blue Jays]]
* [[Megan Brigman]], former professional women's soccer player<ref>{{Cite web|title=Megan Brigman Stats|url=https://fbref.com/en/players/75a86f62/Megan-Brigman|access-date=2022-04-02|website=FBref.com|language=en}}</ref>
* [[Brent Butler]], former [[Major League Baseball|MLB]] infielder
* [[Bucky Covington]], country musician and ''American Idol'' Season 5 finalist
* [[Wes Covington]], former [[Major League Baseball|MLB]] outfielder
* [[Robert Dozier (basketball)|Robert Dozier]], professional basketball player
* [[Lorinza Harrington]], former [[National Basketball Association|NBA]] player
* [[Joseph Roswell Hawley]], four-term U.S. Senator, two-term U.S. Congressman, Governor of [[Connecticut]], and [[Union Army]] Major General
* [[Harriet McBryde Johnson]], activist for the disabled
* [[Sam Jones (basketball, born 1933)|Sam Jones]], former NBA Shooting Guard, 10x NBA Champion, 5x NBA All-Star, 3x All-NBA Second Team, NBA Anniversary Team [[Boston Celtics#24 retired]]
* [[Samantha Joye]], oceanographer known for her work studying the [[Volume and extent of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill|Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill]]
* [[Terrell Manning]], [[National Football League|NFL]] player
* [[William S. McArthur]], former [[United States Army]] colonel and [[NASA]] [[astronaut]]
* [[Bejun Mehta]], [[countertenor]]
* [[James Dickson Phillips Jr.]], United States Court of Appeals judge
* [[William R. Purcell]], physician and politician
* [[Travian Robertson]], NFL defensive end<ref>{{Cite web|title=Travian Robertson Stats|url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/R/RobeTr00.htm|access-date=2022-04-02|website=Pro-Football-Reference.com|language=en}}</ref>
* [[Kelvin Sampson]], college basketball coach
* [[Terry Sanford]], former Governor of North Carolina and [[United States Senate|U.S. Senator]]
* [[Charlie Scott (basketball)|Charlie Scott]], NBA All-Star and University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill player, Olympic gold medalist in 1968, and valedictorian at [[Laurinburg Institute]]
* [[Woody Shaw]], hard-bop (jazz) trumpeter
* [[Franklin Stubbs]], [[Major League Baseball|MLB]] player
* [[Hilee Taylor]], NFL defensive end
* [[Leonard Thompson (golfer)|Leonard Thompson]], [[PGA Tour]] golfer
* [[Ben Vereen]], actor, dancer, and singer
* [[Jacoby Watkins]], former NFL cornerback and [[North Carolina Tar Heels football|North Carolina]] football player
* [[Zamir White]], NFL Running Back, [[Las Vegas Raiders]]
* [[Christopher Witmore]] academic archaeologist and author

==Sister cities==
Laurinburg has one [[sister city]], as designated by [[Sister Cities International]]:
* {{flagdeco|Scotland}} [[Oban]], Argyll and Bute, Scotland<ref name="Mayor"/>

==See also==
* [[List of municipalities in North Carolina]]

==References==
{{reflist|22em}}

== Bibliography ==
* {{cite book|last1=Covington|first1=Howard E. Jr|last2=Ellis|first2= Marion A.|title=Terry Sanford: Politics, Progress, and Outrageous Ambitions|publisher=Duke University Press|location=Durham|year=1999|isbn=978-0-8223-2356-3|url=https://archive.org/details/terrysanfordpoli00covi|url-access=registration}}

==Further reading==
* Graham, Gael, "'The Lexington of White Supremacy': School and Local Politics in Late-Nineteenth-Century Laurinburg, North Carolina," ''North Carolina Historical Review,'' 89 (Jan. 2012), 27–58.

==External links==
{{commons category|Laurinburg, North Carolina}}
* {{Official website|http://www.laurinburg.org/}}
* [http://www.laurinburgchamber.org/ Laurinburg-Scotland County Area Chamber of Commerce]

{{Scotland County, North Carolina}}
{{North Carolina}}
{{All-American City Award Hall of Fame}}
{{North Carolina county seats}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:Cities in North Carolina]]
[[Category:Cities in Scotland County, North Carolina]]
[[Category:County seats in North Carolina]]